Turning the Page: Jayne Tremaine’s Story of Service and Learning

For Jayne Tremaine, volunteering is about more than giving back. It’s about lifelong learning, building relationships and staying connected to the things she loves most: people, books and history.

Born in Watertown, New York and raised in the picturesque Thousand Islands community of Alexandria Bay, Jayne has always embraced adventure. When it came time for college, she headed west to Adams State College in Colorado.

“I wanted to ski,” she says with a laugh. “College was secondary.”

Her passion for learning eventually led her to Clarion University, where she earned a master’s degree in Information Science. Following graduate school, she served as director of the public library in Clarion, Pennsylvania, for four years before continuing her library career in Corning, New York, where she lived for 20 years. In 1992, Jayne relocated to Lebanon to become director of the Lebanon Community Library, a position she held until her retirement at age 65. Throughout her career, she remained committed to connecting people with information, ideas and lifelong learning opportunities.

Jayne has two daughters, Heidi, a nurse in Ithaca, and Heather, who lives in Lancaster. Today, she also enjoys spending time with her two grandchildren.

For the past 16 years, Jayne has been a dedicated volunteer at Cornwall Manor, currently serving in the Manor Shoppe. Her connection to Cornwall Manor began through a friendship with former resident Mary Louise Sherk, who volunteered at the library during Jayne’s tenure as director.

“Mary Louise and I became friends through the library,” Jayne recalls. “That’s how I became involved at Cornwall Manor.”

One thing that has remained constant throughout Jayne’s life is her love of information and books.

“I’m an information junkie,” she says. “The library was a good place to spend my life.”

Her passion for learning continues today. In addition to her work at Cornwall Manor, Jayne volunteers every week at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum in Lancaster, where she catalogs antique embroidery patterns. She enjoys uncovering details about everyday life in the 1800s and uses modern technology to help her along the way.

In fact, Jayne is an enthusiastic supporter of artificial intelligence.

“Even though it affects libraries and traditional ways of learning, it’s an amazing new environment,” she says. “I use AI a lot at Landis Valley to learn about customs. AI is a wealth of knowledge.”

When she’s not volunteering, Jayne stays busy with a variety of creative hobbies. She is an accomplished basket weaver, creates and repairs jewelry and makes unique pieces from Job’s Tears seeds that she harvests herself. Some of her handmade jewelry is available for purchase in Landis Valley gift shop.

She is also an avid reader of historical fiction and is currently working her way through the final volume in John Jakes’ Kent Family Chronicles series.

An outdoor enthusiast, Jayne walks three miles every day and enjoys gardening at her home. Rather than maintaining a large lawn on her one-acre property, she gradually transformed much of the space into perennial garden beds.

“I have about 20 beds now,” she says. “And about a dozen hydrangeas. They’re magnificent and unpredictable.”

She also grows cherry tomatoes, often enjoying them fresh from the vine.

Jayne shares her home with Ginger, her eight-year-old Golden Retriever. Although Ginger now wears a brace to help manage osteoarthritis, she’s still a beloved companion.

Over the years, Jayne has embraced many adventures, including spending 10 years as a ski instructor. Today, however, one of her greatest joys comes from the connections she makes through volunteering.

“I love the people at Cornwall Manor,” she says. “I enjoy getting to know the residents.”

Whether she’s welcoming customers in the Manor Shoppe, researching local history, tending her flourishing gardens, or sharing a meaningful conversation, Jayne brings enthusiasm, curiosity and kindness to everything she does. Her dedication to learning and service continues to make a lasting impact on the Cornwall Manor community.